1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for guiding the travel of a produced tobacco rod when the tobacco rod is carried toward a cutting section in a cigarette manufacturing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A cigarette manufacturing apparatus mainly comprised of a wrapping section and a cutting section. In the wrapping section, a paper web is fed in one direction, and during such a feeding process, shredded tobacco supplied onto the paper web is continuously wrapped with the paper web, thus forming tobacco rods in succession.
The formed tobacco rod is then sent from the wrapping section to the cutting section which cuts the rod into individual cigarettes of a specified length.
The cigarette manufacturing apparatus is further provided with an Inspecting section which is located between the wrapping section and the cutting section. In the inspecting section, the diameter of a formed tobacco rod, the filling density of the shredded tobacco in the tobacco rod, etc. are immediately inspected, and the inspection results are supplied to the wrapping section.
In the wrapping section, the diameter of tobacco rod to be formed and the supply of shredded tobacco onto the paper web are controlled according to the inspection results. As a result, the quality of the tobacco rods Is maintained at a constant level.
Regarding the operation of the cigarette manufacturing apparatus, If any trouble takes place, a stopping signal is immediately sent to the wrapping section. After the stopping signal is issued, however, it takes a certain time before the drive of the wrapping section, i.e., the feed of a paper web or the delivery of a tobacco rod, is completed stopped.
If the cause of such a trouble lies in the forming of a tobacco rod, i.e., the wrapping of shredded tobacco with the paper web, then a formed product sent out from the wrapping section may not be complete tobacco rod. This will prevent the incomplete rod sent out from the wrapping section from passing through the inspecting section, causing it to be stuck between the wrapping section and the inspecting section, and what is worse, the shredded tobacco inside will be scattered around. The quantity of stagnant defective rod and the quantity of scattering shredded tobacco increase as the driving speed of the cigarette manufacturing apparatus, i.e., the wrapping section, increases with a consequent longer time required for stopping the wrapping section.
It is desirable, therefore, to secure as great a distance as possible between the inspecting section and the wrapping section, considering the possible stagnation of defective rod resulting from an operational interruption of the cigarette manufacturing apparatus or the scattering of shredded tobacco.
As the distance between the wrapping section and the inspecting section increases, however, the travel of tobacco rod becomes unstable when the tobacco rod is sent from the wrapping section to the inspecting section, frequently causing the tobacco rod to sway.
If there is significant sway of the tobacco rod, the tobacco rod may be caught at the entrance of the inspecting section, and an excessive force may be applied to the tobacco rod, causing the tobacco rod to be torn.
Further, at the time of restarting the cigarette manufacturing apparatus, the tobacco rod led out from the wrapping section is cut by a cutting means called a feed-in deflector at the end of the tobacco wrapping section and the tobacco rod, which is remained on the downstream side from the cut end, is sent out toward the inspecting section. Therefore, if the wrapping section is located far apart from the inspecting section, then the cut end of the tobacco rod cannot be guided stably toward the inspecting section.